TUNE IN: Eight, Arizona PBS sets May lineup

Eight, Arizona PBS

The nation’s premier memorial event is broadcast live on the eve of Memorial Day from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The television event features a mix of dramatic readings, documentary footage and live musical performances, along with an all-star line-up of dignitaries, actors and musical artists.

Eight, Arizona PBS

Eight, Arizona PBS

During PBS’ American Experience “Freedom Riders” session at the TCA Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 9, 2011, series executive producer Mark Samels, left, and producer and director Stanley Nelson talk with Freedom Riders Joan Mulholland and C.T. Vivian and Freedom Ride Coordinator Diane Nash about the film and the message behind the historic freedom rides of 1961.

Eight, Arizona PBS

Eight

Conductor Alan Gilbert leads the New York Philharmonic during a special Carnegie Hall 120th Anniversary concert.

Eight, Arizona PBS has announced special programs through the
end of May, including the station’s annual, award-winning broadcast
of the National Memorial Day concert, broadcast live from the West
Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

Eight, Arizona PBS specializes in the education of children,
in-depth news and public affairs, lifelong learning and the
celebration of arts and culture utilizing noncommercial television,
the Internet, educational outreach services and community-based
initiatives. The PBS station began broadcasting from the campus of
Arizona State University Jan. 30, 1961. Now, more than 80 percent
of Arizonans receive the signal through a network of translators,
cable and satellite systems. With more than 1 million viewers each
week, Eight consistently ranks among the most-viewed public
television stations per capita in the country. Arizonans provide
more than 60 percent of the station’s annual budget.

The following programs are scheduled:

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

“FREEDOM RIDERS”

9 p.m. May 16

From award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson (“Wounded Knee,”
“Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple,” “The Murder of
Emmett Till”) comes “Freedom Riders,” the powerful, harrowing and
ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed
America forever.

From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white
Americans risked their lives — and many endured savage beatings and
imprisonment — for simply traveling together on buses and trains as
they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim
Crow laws, the Freedom Riders’ belief in non-violent activism was
sorely tested as mob violence and bitter racism greeted them along
the way.

“Freedom Riders” features testimony from a cast of central
characters: the Riders themselves, state and federal government
officials, and journalists who witnessed the rides firsthand.
Produced, written and directed by Nelson, “Freedom Riders”
premieres on American Experience at 9 p.m. May 16 on Eight, Arizona
PBS.

Despite two earlier Supreme Court decisions that mandated the
desegregation of interstate travel facilities, black Americans in
1961 continued to endure hostility and racism while traveling
through the South. The newly inaugurated Kennedy administration,
embroiled in the Cold War and worried about the nuclear threat, did
little to address domestic civil rights.

“It became clear that the civil rights leaders had to do
something desperate, something dramatic to get Kennedy’s attention.
That was the idea behind the Freedom Rides — to dare the federal
government to do what it was supposed to do, and see if their
constitutional rights would be protected by the Kennedy
administration,” said Raymond Arsenault, author of “Freedom Riders:
1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice,” on which the film is
partially based.

The self-proclaimed “Freedom Riders” came from all strata of
American society — black and white, young and old, male and female,
northern and southern. They embarked on the rides knowing the
danger but firmly committed to the ideals of non-violent protest,
aware that their actions could provoke a savage response but
willing to put their lives on the line for the cause of
justice.

“The lesson of the Freedom Rides is that great change can come
from a few small steps taken by courageous people,” Nelson said.
“And that sometimes to do any great thing, it’s important that we
step out alone.”

“‘Freedom Riders’ tells the story of an overlooked piece of not
only civil rights history but American history,” said Mark Samels,
executive producer of American Experience. “It’s a story that we
knew had to be told. The film touches and inspires everyone who
sees it, and it’s an honor to be presenting it.”

Arizona Technology and Innovation is an ongoing series of
specials and companion website, at www.azpbs.org/technology,
showcasing the people, ideas, businesses and technologies that are
shaping Arizona’s future. What discoveries are being made today
that will impact lives for generations? The latest edition of
Arizona Technology and Innovation airs 7:30 p.m. May 17 on
Eight.

Featured stories include:

• EV Mobile Charging, a Phoenix-based company, is offering a
service to rescue stranded drivers of electric vehicles. Eric
Edberg, one of the co-founders of the company, talks about his new
business.

• Several Arizona high school students were recently given the
Future Innovators award during the Governor’s Celebration of
Innovation. Learn about the teens’ research.

• A Phoenix firm has invented a new tool for law enforcement to
stop people fleeing in vehicles. The Safe Quick Undercarriage
Immobilization Device, or SQUID, is a self-propelled device that
police can use to stop a car by entangling its moving parts
underneath the vehicle. Martin Martinez, president of Engineering
Science Analysis Corporation, will talk about his company’s
invention.

The companion website — www.azpbs.org/technology — includes a
complete archive of video with all current and previous stories.
Visitors are invited to submit their topic ideas.

THE STORM THAT SWEPT MEXICO

10 p.m. May 18

“The Storm that Swept Mexico” is a new two-hour special that
tells the epic story of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, the first
major political and social revolution of the 20th century.

Fueled by the Mexican people’s growing dissatisfaction with an
elitist ruling regime, the revolution produced two of the most
intriguing and mythic figures in 20th century history — Emiliano
Zapata and Francisco “Pancho” Villa. At stake was Mexico’s ability
to claim its own natural resources, establish long-term democracy
and re-define its identity. The legacy of the revolution included a
new commitment to national education, as well as an explosion of
indigenous arts, music, literature and cinema.

Capturing the color, drama, intrigue and tragedy of the era,
“The Storm that Swept Mexico” also explores how the Mexican
Revolution not only changed the course of Mexican history,
transforming economic and political power within the nation, but
also profoundly impacted the relationships between Mexico, the U.S.
and the rest of the world.

Narrated by actor and playwright Luis Valdez, directed by
Raymond Telles and written and produced by Telles and archivist
Kenn Rabin, “The Storm that Swept Mexico” airs on at 10 p.m. May 18
on Eight, Arizona PBS.

The Mexican Revolution was the first major revolution to be
filmed. “The Storm that Swept Mexico” incorporates photographs and
motion pictures from these earliest days of cinema, many of which
have never before been seen outside of Mexico.

“The Storm that Swept Mexico” unfolds in two parts. The first
hour charts the struggle by Francisco I. Madero and his followers
to end the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz, and traces the emergence
of two rebel leaders: Emiliano Zapata and Francisco “Pancho” Villa.
The second hour examines international influence on the revolution,
investigating the extraordinary German plan to seek Mexico’s
support against the United States should it enter World War I. The
second hour also explores how the Mexican Revolution fostered
cultural and political transformation. Beginning in the 1920s, and
continuing through and beyond the 1940s, Mexican artists burst onto
the international stage, and Mexico City became the nexus of an
indigenous and muralist art movement. Against this flourishing
cultural backdrop, the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas in many ways
fulfills the political promises of the revolution. But after
Cárdenas’s administration, politics regress and in 1968, shortly
before Mexico City is to host the Olympics, a new type of
revolution explodes.

The dramatic story of the revolution is told through interviews
with a wide range of distinguished scholars from the disciplines of
history, economics, literature, political science, women’s studies
and art history, as well as several veterans of the revolution, who
were each older than 100 at the time of filming.

ARIZONA ARTBEAT

EXPLORES ARIZONA’S CULTURAL PRESENT AND
PAST

7:30 p.m. May 24

Eight has long been an advocate and champion for Arizona’s arts
community. Arizona Artbeat, the ongoing series and companion
website, further strengthens that commitment. The 30-minute special
profiles the individuals and organizations that are shaping the
state’s cultural scene with honest and provocative interviews with
the artists themselves. Online visitors can tap into creative
communities locally and nationally, and gain access to a growing
compilation of videos produced by Eight and the city of
Phoenix.

The latest edition of ArtBeat at 7:30 p.m. May 24 on Eight,
featuring:

• The fine art jewelry of Navajo/Hopi jeweler Jesse
Monongye.

• Ear Candy Charity: When schools are short on funding, arts
education is often the first to get cut, but Ear Candy Charity is
doing what it can to ensure that Arizona’s youth have access to a
music education. Nate Anderson discusses the work of this Phoenix
non-profit he founded and how it is making a difference.

• Free Arts of Arizona: A nonprofit organization that uses art
to help abused, neglected and homeless children.

• PBS Arts, an online exhibition celebrating the works of
artists, writers and musicians from across the country.

• Arizona Artforms, produced in 1989 and 1990, Eight’s own video
portraits series follows artists through the entire creative
process. The project includes detailed lesson plans for the
classroom.

• Inside Creative Minds, the 30-minute TV show from the city of
Phoenix connects viewers to the state’s growing and spirited
culture.

• Cool in Your Zip’s John Davronja Dossie and Tray Goodman track
down fascinating art projects throughout the city of Phoenix.

Visitors to the website are encouraged to submit topic ideas for
future editions of Arizona ArtBeat.

NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT

8 p.m. May 29

For more than two decades, PBS’s National Memorial Day Concert
has led the nation in honoring the service and sacrifice of our men
and women in uniform, their families at home and all those who have
given their lives for our country.

The multi-award-winning event will be co-hosted for the sixth
year by Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise (“CSI: New York”) and Tony
Award-winner Joe Mantegna (“Criminal Minds”), two actors who have
dedicated themselves to veterans’ causes and supporting the troops
in active service.

The all-star line-up of dignitaries, actors and musical artists
joining Sinise and Mantegna for the 22nd annual broadcast includes:
distinguished American leader Colin L. Powell; “American Idol”
winner Kris Allen; Academy and Emmy Award-winning actress Dianne
Wiest; king of the blues B.B. King; classical superstar Hayley
Westenra; and tenor Daniel Rodriguez, the New York city policeman
who united the country after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. They
will perform with the National Symphony Orchestra under the
direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly (additional talent to
be announced).

Consistently one of the highest rated programs on PBS over the
past decade, the National Memorial Day Concert became the No.
4-rated program in primetime and the No. 2-rated musical
performance special on PBS for the 2009-2010 season. The event,
broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, will air
live in HD on Eight, Arizona PBS at 8 p.m. May 29 before a concert
audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home, as well
as to troops serving around the world on the American Forces
Network.

The 2011 event will include:

• The first national welcome home to troops who have been
serving in Iraq.

• The story of a woman who lost her father in Vietnam and how
her experiences are helping a new generation of children who have
suffered the same loss after their parents served in Iraq and
Afghanistan.

• A 10-year commemoration of Sept. 11.

• A tribute to World War II veterans 70 years after the attack
on Pearl Harbor.

The U.S Joint Chiefs of Staff will participate in the event
along with the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, U.S. Army Chorus,
Soldiers Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band, U.S. Navy Sea
Chanters, U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants, Armed Forces Color
Guard and Service Color Teams provided by the Military District of
Washington, D.C.

“Carnegie Hall 120th Anniversary Concert” — featuring the works
of Ludwig von Beethoven, Duke Ellington, Antonin Dvořák, and George
Gershwin — will air as part of Great Performances at 9 p.m. May 31
on Eight, Arizona PBS.

The eclectic program is set to include Beethoven’s “Triple
Concerto in C major, Op. 56,” performed by Ax, Ma and Shaham, a
selection of Duke Ellington songs including “Solitude,”
“Sophisticated Lady,” “On a Turquoise Cloud” and “It Don’t Mean a
Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing,” performed by McDonald and full
performances of Antonin Dvořák’s “Carnival Overture” and George
Gershwin’s “An American in Paris.”

Dvořák conducted his “Carnival Overture” with the Boston
Symphony at Carnegie Hall when he came to New York to assume his
post as director of the National Conservatory of Music Oct. 21,
1892.

Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” was commissioned by the New
York Philharmonic and conducted by Walter Damrosch in the New York
premiere Dec. 13, 1928, at Carnegie Hall. The concert hall was the
home base of the New York Philharmonic until the orchestra moved to
its current location at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in
1962.

Ellington played his first historic Carnegie Hall concert Jan.
23, 1943, beginning a series of concerts there of his long-form
works.

In the late 1800s, New York City was emerging as an
international capital, and composers were flourishing in the
classical world. In 1891, Carnegie Hall, founded by industrialist
and entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie, opened its doors as “Music Hall”
on May 5, 1891, with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky conducting. It was
renamed “Carnegie Hall” in 1893 when Carnegie allowed the use of
his name. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in
1962.